The first Test match between Pakistan and England at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium has raised concerns about the flatness of pitches in Pakistan.
The lifeless pitch has been dubbed a batting paradise, with batters from both teams setting numerous records.
On day three of the match, Pakistan openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique registered a 200-run partnership. This was the first time in Test cricket that both opening pairs scored more than 200 runs.
England’s openers, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, had scored 233 runs for the first wicket in the first innings of the Test match. Abdullah and Imam then put on a 225-run stand.
On the first day of the match, both England openers took the attack to the Pakistani bowling unit and scored scintillating centuries to put their team in complete command. In their first innings, England scored 657 runs.
With a huge mountain to climb in the first innings, Pakistan had to rely on their openers to replicate England’s openers’ performance. Imam and Abdullah also hit magnificent centuries to keep Pakistan in the hunt.
It was only the second time in Test cricket history that all four openers scored hundreds. It was also the first time in history that four openers scored centuries in the first two innings of a match.
With the pitch’s nature refusing to change over the three days, the match is likely to end in a dull draw, but there are still plenty of opportunities for the batters to set new Test records.
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